NEW CHIEF POLICY OFFICER JOINS WDE

CHEYENNE – State Superintendent Jillian Balow is pleased to announce the hiring of Megan Degenfelder as the new Chief Policy Officer at the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE). Megan previously worked in government affairs for Cloud Peak Energy in Gillette. Megan is a Casper native, former UW Student Body President, and was a classroom teacher in Beijing while she got her master’s in economics from the Beijing University of International Business and Economics.

Megan is exactly the kind of strategic thinking leader we need heading up our policy group at the WDE,” said Superintendent Balow. “Her experience in the classroom and the Wyoming legislature make her a great fit for where we are headed in Wyoming education. I also like the fact that she has deep roots in our state and is coming to WDE from the energy industry with a deep understanding of the fiscal challenges we face in education and as a state.”

WDE Chief of Staff Dicky Shanor added, “Because this position demands long hours and challenging issues, we really wanted to find someone with a solid policy background and a passion for education and Wyoming’s future-Megan fit this mold well. We are happy to have her on the team.”

Megan’s official start date was August 1. She is in charge of all legislative and other policy work including accountability, standards and assessment at the WDE.

“I am thrilled to take on this opportunity at the Department of Education. I look forward to working to overcome budgetary and other policy challenges facing our state in education, and hope to bring a fresh perspective to the team,” said Degenfelder.